Mexican Polenta

This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times magazine. It comes together really quickly, so less practiced cooks would be wise to prep things before they start cooking (i.e., mince the garlic, open the cans, drain the beans, etc) so that the polenta finishes in the oven around the same time the beans and tomatoes are finished.

If you don't have a lime zester, just skip the zest -- it adds a nice bite to the dish, but it's not essential. If you skip the lime zest, I do suggest that you do not skip the cilantro -- you'll want that fresh taste especially if the lime zest is missing.

1 18oz tube polenta, cut into 12 slices
Cooking spray (such as Pam)
2 tbs. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1.5 tbs. lime juice
1.5 tsp. mexican or cajun spice seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. grated lime zest
1 15.5 oz can of beans (black, pinto, or kidney), rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos (I recommend the Muir Glen fired roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1/2 cup grated cheddar or jack cheese
2 tbs. chopped cilantro
sour cream and/or salsa, optional

Position top rack of oven 3 inches from broiler. Turn broiler on high.

Spray polenta slices with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Broil 5 minutes per side, or until browned.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, and cook 4 minutes, or until softened. Stir in lime juice, spice seasoning, garlic, and lime zest. Cook 4 minutes, or until onion is lightly browned. Add beans and tomatoes, and simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.

Place 3 polenta slices on each plate, ladle bean mixture over top, and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Whole grain pasta with spinach and tomatoes

This recipe comes from the Moosewood "Simple Suppers" cookbook (they suggest using escarole or curly endive, but I couldn't find either of those when I ran to the store, so I used fresh spinach instead). I made it for dinner last night, and we just had the leftovers for dinner tonight. It's so easy to make (we're talking less than 20 minutes start to finish) and it is really really good (and low fat too). The recipe serves four, so I only cooked 1/2 of the pasta the first night, made all of the sauce on the first night but only used half, and then cooked the rest of the pasta the second night and heated up the sauce, and it was just as good.

Whole grain pasta with spinach and tomatoes

• 12 oz of whole wheat pasta (I used Trader Joe's whole wheat penne, which is the only whole wheat pasta I've ever used that didn't taste like cardboard. If you can't find one you like, of course you could just use regular pasta instead)
• 12 oz of fresh baby spinach leaves (or you could use other greens, such as curly endive or escarole instead, if you prefer)
• 5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 - 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, rinse the fresh spinach leaves and set aside to drain.

When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente. While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet or saucepan on medium-high heat, cook the garlic in the oil until it sizzles. Add the spinach, sprinkle with salt, and cook until wilted, stirring often. Stir in the tomatoes (with their juices), oregano, and rosemary. Cover and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is done.

When the pasta is done, drain it ans serve topped with the sauce and some grated cheese. Note that the sauce won't get thick -- it's more of a light, chunky type sauce.

Roasted Veggie Enchiladas

This recipe makes 3 enchiladas, which was perfect for me -- I ate 2 for dinner and saved 1 for lunch the next day (not quite as good reheated in the microwave, but still pretty tasty).

• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1 small yellow squash, sliced
• 8 white mushrooms, halved
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
• 1/2 can black beans (or pinto, if you prefer), drained and rinsed
• 3 fat free tortillas
• 2 cups of bottled enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Cut the zucchini, squash, mushrooms and bell pepper into pieces of roughly the same size (approx 1 inch pieces) and put in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies and sprinkle with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Toss the veggies until well coated. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 450 for about 15 minutes.

Remove the veggies from the oven and turn the oven down to about 350.

Lightly spray a small baking dish (a small, 2 inch deep dish works well) with non-stick cooking spray.

Fill the first tortilla with roasted veggie and about 2 tablespoons of beans. Roll the tortilla so it makes a long tube, and place it in the baking dish seam side down (so it stays shut). Repeat with the other tortillas. When all of the tortillas are filled and in the baking dish, pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.

Serve with fresh sliced avocado (or guacamole, if you prefer), reduced fat sour cream, and salsa (by the way, Frontera brand salsa is awesome).

As you can see from the picture, some of the filling fell out when I transferred the enchiladas to a dish.

Taco salad

• Lettuce/mixed greens (I use the pre-washed bagged salad mix)


• cherry tomatoes


• fresh diced avocado


• black olives (about 8 small olives, roughly chopped)


• roasted red peppers (roughly chopped)


• frozen corn kernels (about 1/4 cup, thawed and heated)


• black beans (about 1/4 of a can, drained and heated)


• reduced fat shredded cheddar (or jack) cheese


• reduced fat sour cream


• salsa


• baked tortilla chips

Kitchen sink burritos

These are some suggested ingredients, but you can use whatever you have handy in the fridge, freezer, pantry and garden.

• 1 can black beans (or pinto)
• 4 tablespoons salsa
• 2 cups leftover cooked rice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, or mexican blend)
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 4 large flour tortillas
• sour cream
• extra salsa or taco sauce

Drain and rinse the beans. Place beans in a small pot or bowl and mix with 4 tablespoons of salsa. Heat beans on stove or in microwave into hot. Meanwhile, heat the corn and rice in the microwave.

Fill each of the tortillas with hot rice, beans and salsa, and corn. Add cheese on top. The add avocado slices, sour cream, and extra salsa. Fold and roll into a burrito. Makes 4 large burritos.

Spicy Chili

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 jalapenos, diced (including seeds)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 package of "Gimme Lean" ground beef substitute
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• a few pinches of red pepper flakes
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 can of condensed tomato soup
• 1 cup of water or vegetable stock
• 2 - 28oz cans of diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 can of chili beans or pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed
• Optional: grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and saute for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add the entire package of gimme lean beef substitute to the onion and peppers, breaking the "beef" into small pieces with your spoon are you cook it. Add all of the dry seasonings to the pot, and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the "beef" is cooked through and lightly browned on the outside. Add the tomato soup, water, and diced tomatoes to the pot and stir well. Bring contents of pot to a slow simmer, and add all beans. Cook over medium-low heat for about an hour or until chili thickens, stirring often. If it gets too thick, add a little water or veggie stock to get preferred consistency. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and/or tortilla chips, if desired.

Saucy Zucchini

• 2 medium sized zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
• 2 cups mariana sauce (either bottled or homemade -- see recipe for marinana sauce a few entries below under "pasta with marinara sauce and meat(less) balls")
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Cover the bottom of a small cassarole dish with 1/2 cup of sauce. Place one layer of zucchini rounds on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with approx. 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese. Add another 1/2 cup of sauce. Add another layer of zucchini. Sprinkle with approx. 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese. Add another 1/2 cup of sauce. Repeat. After layering on final portion of sauce, add the rest of the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Serve with bread.